Implementing Safe Routes to School in Low-Income Schools and Communities: A Resource Guide for Volunteers and Professionals

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Publication

Children from low-income families are twice as likely to walk to school as children from higher-income families, and they face a higher risk of being injured or killed as pedestrians. That is why it is critical that low-income communities are able to access Safe Routes to School funds and implement successful programs.

While there are many resources that document how to implement a Safe Routes to School program, few of them address the challenges and circumstances unique to low-income communities. To fill that gap, the Safe Routes Partnership has created a new resource guide: Implementing Safe Routes to School in Low-Income Schools and Communities: A Resource Guide for Volunteers and Professionals.

The resource guide focuses on schools and communities where at least half of students or community residents are low-income. It includes specific tips for getting started with SRTS in low-income communities. It also includes an overview and explanation of six key challenges often identified in implementing SRTS in low-income schools and communities. More than 20 community profiles are included to show how SRTS is having success in addressing six specific issues:

  • Personal Safety: Crime and Violence
  • Community Readiness: Awareness and Attitudes
  • A Shortage of Professional Expertise
  • Limited Parental Involvement
  • The Barrier of Distance to School
  • Traffic Safety and the Built Environment

We hope this resource guide inspires nonprofit organizations, schools and community residents to come together to implement and sustain successful, culturally sensitive and inclusive Safe Routes to School initiatives.

The Partnership is grateful to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Public Health Association for their support of this publication.

The guide can be downloaded at http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/media/file/LowIncomeGuide.pdf.

Webinars

As part of the launch of the resource guide, the Safe Routes Partnership is hosting two webinars that provide an opportunity to learn more from the experiences of local organizations implementing Safe Routes to School in low-income communities-and ask questions. Both webinars are meant for volunteers and professionals interested in Safe Routes to School implementation.

Webinar 1: Parental involvement and addressing crime and violence
Speakers included:

You can download a PDF of the powerpoint used by each speaker above, or watch a recording of the webinar in two parts:

Webinar 2: Addressing the shortage of professional expertise and building buy-in
Speakers include:

You can download a PDF of the powerpoint used by each speaker above, or watch a recording of the webinar: